Fightstar Review + Aftershow

‘Compact’. This is the world Charlie used to describe Madame JoJo’s and he certainly wasn’t wrong. This place is tiny, but absolutely perfect for this evenings events.
Fightstar have come a long way in the past 4 years. They’ve gone from, “That band with the one from Busted in” to, “Credible rock band”. Which for them, is something of an achievement. This evening however, they are playing for Oxjam and Lowlife as well as their own single launch for ‘Floods‘. Our now, go and buy! If you looked around the venue, you would see free Lowlife belts everywhere. Needless to say, they were gone by the time the second support band had even set up on stage.
I was lucky enough to go to the sound check, and watch the guys prepare for the night ahead. Needless to say, the sound check went without a hitch, and it was quite nice to see all the support bands watching in what only can be described as awe. Fightstar definitely have something about them, you can’t really put your finger on it, but it’s there.
The event started off with support from DissolvedIn. A four piece band from Reading, who have already played with bands like Saosin and Tonight Is Goodbye. They won this support slot tonight to play alongside Fightstar, and they didn’t disappoint. Certainly a band to keep your eye on.
We Are The Ocean are a little bit special as far as I’m concerned, and as the next support band of the evening, they really got the crowd going. The lead singer, Dan, decided that as people weren’t moving enough (there were about 20 people by the stage at this point), that he would get down off the stage and create a riot. Well he did so very well, and if people didn’t like them before, they certainly did now. Their energy on stage is fantastic, and actually outdid all my expectations.
The Computers who hail from Exeter showed off their talent to the awaiting crowds. This band have been causing quite a stir in the industry, and have already had reviews in Rocksound magazine, which is pretty impressive. I rather enjoyed their set.
However the evening was all about one band, who were about to get themselves on stage and show all their fans what they had waited for. For some reason, there were more people on the balcony bit than there were on the floor. This disappointed me, as I really thought most Fightstar fans these days were up for a bit in the pit. Fightstar come onto the stage to a roar of clapping and shouting, and started playing ‘Grand Unification’, which made everyone go mental. Actually, everyone went mental throughout most of the show, and I experienced this first hand after having an elbow shoved sharply into the top of my head. Oh and let’s not forget the slap around the face. But, I did not back down, and elbowed the offender in the balls. A lady doesn’t like to be slapped. Fact.
The four piece warbled and played their way through all their hits as well as album tracks. ‘Paint Your Target’, ‘We Apologise For Nothing’, ‘Lost Like Tears In The Rain’ and ‘Build An Army’ were all played. Shockingly they decided to play a new track from the album, ‘Amaze Us’. Well they did amaze us with that song. Charlie mumbled something along the lines of “This is the first time we’ve played this, so bear with us”. Although I don’t really know why, as it was brilliant live. As this was not only a show for Oxjam and Lowlife, but also to promote Fightstar’s new song ‘Floods’ that had come out that day, Charlie took to the piano and started playing.
Fightstar ended on ‘Deathcar’, as it has become a traditional song for all of their gigs. It’s a song where everyone goes absolutely crazy to, and you really have to witness it live to believe it. Someone came in and took over Charlie’s guitar, while Charlie just stuck with a microphone. The vocals on this song are actually fairly disturbing, but you forget all that when you are stuck in the pit. Actually crazy. But we all loved it. The song stops in the middle, and we all wait in anticipation as the band look around at each other. “I think you know what’s coming next” Charlie smiles, and counts down before screaming, “You make me fucking sick” into the microphone along with everyone else in the room. Speechless doesn’t even come close.
Unfortunately the band leaves the stage, and from what I can gather, the crowd got more than they really were expecting this evening. The venue is cleared before the after show, of which I obviously attended.
This after show was promised to be full of DJ sets, although due to last minute changes, it was all quite different. However, I wasn’t disappointed! The Audition turned up, and one of the guys from the Gallows made an appearance to. It was a good after show with plenty of alcohol, fantastic tunes and some mega dancing on the dance floor. One person who was keen to show off their dancing talent was none other than Mr Simpson. Michael Jackson was on, and it was down to the floor for him. He busted (see what I did there?!) some fancy moves before heading back to the bar. Needless to say he got mobbed, just as Omar did a little while later. But I’m not sure they minded much. They played a blinding set, and pleased every single Fightstar fan in the room.
According to some secret sources, the boys are heading out on tour in May.
So keep your eyes peeled on their MySpace (www.myspace.com/fightstar) for more details.

The full review with photos will be featured in the next magazine.